Estel's hair cut
by Beautiful-Chaos-Girl
Summary: Fluffy in more ways than one. Estel wrecks havoc at the hair dressers and refuses to get his hair cut. Can his mother and Ada persuade him otherwise?


Estel's first hair cut

Estel is afraid of the scissors after accidentally slicing his thumb with them while doing crafts. Unfortunately this accident occurs just days before the day his mother intended to have his hair cut. He refuses and wreaks havoc in the barbers shop.

Elrond and his brother's try everything to convince Estel it's alright, telling him stories of their haircuts and letting him cut paper and dolls hair. It's to no avail. Estel still isn't convinced that the fiendish weapons that cut into him could be used for something painless.

Finally a few weeks later, Gilraen is at her wits end. Estel's hair is hopelessly long and knotty, in desperate need of a cut. As a last resort she allows Estel to slice of some of her own hair so he can see it's alright. The end result looks abominable but achieves the desired result. Estel is amazed that his mother is in no pain and Gilraen teaches him about how pain works and why we can't feel our hair. Only then does Estel consent and receive a very smart haircut. His mother takes a lock as a keepsake and has it pressed and preserved.

Elrond and his sons are astounded that Gilraen would allow her son to do such a thing and that she walks around the keep with no qualms about it, showing her butchered tresses to all who care to look. They have even more respect now for her as a mother and as a woman.

"Naneth!"

Estel thundered through to his mother's room, clutching his thumb, hot tears welling in his eyes. Gilraen put down her needlepoint work and readied herself to receive him.

"What is it _ion nin_?"

"My thumb, my thumb! It's bleeeediing!" he wailed. He held it up for her inspection. It did indeed have a small shallow incision that was oozing dark beads of blood.

"Oh Estel. It's okay, I'll fix it" Gilraen assured him.

"Hurts!" He protested

"I know baby, I know" Gilraen pulled her handkerchief from her pocket and pressed it to the cut. Keeping the pressure with one hand she used the other to hoist her son onto her lap, cuddling him close. She fussed over it a while longer and let Estel whinge for a bit. He told her how it had happened. He'd been cutting out shapes to stick on his latest picture (one of many) when he'd fumbled, slipped and the scissors had slid across his thumb, leaving the cut he now bore. He expounded on the evils of scissors for a full 5 minutes before his mother found a way of stopping him. Well, diverting him. She sent him away to continue his tirade with his foster brothers. As he turned to leave Gilraen noticed his hair. It was a little shaggy at the back. She made a mental note to ask Elrond to do something about it.

_A few days later _

"Where are we going Ada?" Estel asked as Elrond led him down the path. Gilraen had thought that Estel might still be a bit jumpy around scissors because of the "incident" a few days before hand, so she'd told Elrond to be a little "vague" with the details. He thought carefully before replying.

"We're going to see Suiauthon, remember?"

"He gave me a lolly-pop!" Estel declared happily.

Elrond grinned. Trust Estel not to remember anything about his last haircut except the fact that he'd gotten a sweet. "That's right"

Estel's steps picked up pace and he began to skip along the path. If there were sweets in store he wanted to get there quickly. Elrond hurried to catch up with him, directing him in through the barber's door. A little copper bell tinkled a friendly welcome as they came in. Estel marvelled at the mirrored wall, reaching out and touching it.  
"Please don't touch the mirrors. It leaves finger prints" one of the attendants told him.  
Estel obediently retracted his hand and put it in his lap. He was directed to a chair and a long sateen robe pulled over his head. That was all fine. Nothing wrong with that. Elrond sat down next to him, smiling comfortingly. Estel smiled back. Then the attendant pulled out the scissors. And all hell broke lose. Estel screamed and leapt bodily from the chair. He went to run but tripped on the robe and pulled and entire shelves of hair products down on himself. When Elrond, embarrassed beyond belief, went to catch him, he slipped out of his grasp because he was so coated in hair oils. Estel skid across the floor and out the door, trailing the robe, combs and hair ribbons behind him. Elrond stayed to clear up before making his exit with as much dignity as he could muster.

That night Estel was sent to bed without supper, after a very long bath. Even after that he still reeked of hair oil. Of course, Elladan and Elrohir thought the whole tale was hilarious when Elrond shamefacedly relayed it to them at dinner. Gilraen did too but was much more adept at hiding her mirth.  
"Don't worry Elrond. It's not the end of the world. So Estel doesn't get his hair cut today. Or tomorrow. This phase will pass, the embarrassment will fade and by this time next week it'll probably all be just a memory.

Two weeks later

"No! No, no, no, NO!" Estel ran down the hall way, into his room and shut the door.  
"Please Estel! I'll give you a cookie!"  
"No! Won't go!"  
Elrond turned to Gilraen, glaring at her. "What's that you said? About this all being a phase?"  
Gilraen sighed in exhaustion, leaning against her son's bedroom door. "Something's got to be done"

That was an understatement. In the two weeks that follow Estel's hair had grown like a weed. It was impossibly tangled and shaggy. The knots could not be worked out for love or money. (Or cookies). They had tried everything. Elladan and Elrohir had told him stories of their own pain free hair cuts when they were younger. Elrond had let him cut paper and doll's hair. They had bribed him, threatened him, and cajoled him. They told him that big boys weren't scared of scissors. They had tried to cut it in his sleep. They had promised him over and over that haircuts don't hurt. All to no avail. Estel still wasn't convinced that the fiendish weapons that cut into him could be used for something painless.

Suddenly Gilraen had an idea. An extreme idea. A crazy idea. But this was her last resort. She took her scissors from her sewing kit and knocked on Estel's door.  
"Go way!"  
"Estel darling? It's _Nana_. I'm not going to make you get your hair cut. Can I come in please?"  
After a moment the door opened. Gilraen went through and sat on his bed. Estel cried out in anger when he saw the scissors in her hand but she placated him.  
"These aren't scissors to cut your hair. They're scissors to cut _my _hair" Gilraen told him. He watched in shock and awe as she bought a lock of hair to the front of her face and snipped it clean off.  
"Did... did that hurt?"  
"Not a bit. Here you try"  
She handed them the scissors. He eyed them warily before taking them. He took a clump of hair in hand. "Are you sure _Nana_?"  
"Absolutely Tithen pen"  
the blades closed over the hair and it fell away. They each took turns, cutting away until Gilraen resembled a sheep shorn by a drunkard. Who'd been pulled through a hedge backwards. Several times.  
"I don't understand _Nana_. Why did it hurt my thumb, but not your hair?"  
Gilraen smiled and took him into her lap. "Because that's how the body works, _ion nin_. You call feel things because of these little things called nerves that run all through your body. When I touch you like this..."  
She tickled his feet and made him giggle "... the nerves in your foot tell you what to feel." As she explained it, she fingered his hair. "Can you feel me touching you now?"  
"Nope."  
"That's because I'm touching your hair. And your hair has no nerves in it. So it doesn't feel anything. Not pain or touch. Nothing. You see?"  
Gilraen could see that he did. "So, will you be a big brave boy and let _Naneth _cut your hair?"  
Estel nodded. Gilraen breathed of relief. It was all over in a few minutes and Estel didn't feel a thing.  
"There! All done! Go and show Elrond your neat new hair!"  
Estel leapt to his feet and ran to find Elrond and the twins. Gilraen stayed behind to clear up the shorn hair, casting it into the fire, where it burned away to nothing in moments. She then went after her son, grinning when she thought of her triumph. She found them all in the garden, where Estel was telling them about his hair cut in his usual grandiose manner.  
"And then Nana let me cut her hair!" he was saying.  
"Surely not!" Elrond said jokingly, clearly not believing Estel.  
"It's true! Right nana?"  
"Sure is my boy!" Gilraen said cheerfully sitting down beside him. She grinned at the other 3 elves, staring aghast at her butchered locks.  
"Gilraen?!" Elladan breathed in shock.

"Yes Elladan?" She replied calmly as Estel ran his hand over her head.

"Your hair?" Elrohir breathed, simultaneously imitating his twin and finishing his sentence.

"Do you like it? It's Estel's handiwork. I call it "the lengths of motherhood".  
Elrohir and Elladan exchanged unsure looks while Elrond smiled. He watched Gilraen laugh with Estel, watched her run her fingers through his newly knot free hair. Estel was safe, happy and healthy. He could see that was all that mattered to Gilraen. The lengths of motherhood indeed.


End file.
